Much of this book is typical Stephen King. He picks a small town and describes the zany/quirky/benevolent/malevolent cast of characters that live there. He describes the way they interact, how they help and hurt each other, and gives some great examples of the good and evil things that people can do to one another. In this way, Under the Dome reminds me a lot of another King book, Needful Things. [Note, though, that the main internal antagonist in this book, selectman Jim Rennie, can't hold a candle to Leland Gaunt.]
Very shortly after the book begins, describing the town of Chester's Mill, a huge dome comes down over the town, instantly separating the townsfolk from the rest of the world. Under the Dome describes two parallel stories:
-their struggle to get by and manage their daily lives in this new environment. Things like breathing, shopping, eating, flushing the toilet, and more are all changed instantly and permanently.
-their struggle to understand the dome, where it came from, and to find a way out of their situation if they can.
To me, Under the Dome handles the first story brilliantly, and the second in a much less satisfying way. Not just the end "resolution" of the book but the whole origin story of the dome. I will concede that after 1,000 plus pages, there is no easy way to end this story, but the end almost seemed like a cop-out.
Maybe, in the end, the best thing about Under the Dome is that it helped clarify what kind of Stephen King fan I am. My favorites (Needful Things, Eyes of the Dragon, even The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon) are more about storytelling than horror. And so it is that I like the storytelling in UtD more than the horror.
PS> I know that the hardcover book comes with an amazing map of Chester's Mill. If this is available to Kindle readers, I never figured out how and where.Get more detail about Under the Dome: A Novel.
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